Punctuation
35 Apostrophe
Introductory Project
1. Larry's motorcycle
my sister's boyfriend
Grandmother's shotgun
the men's room
What is the purpose of the 's in the examples above?
2. They didn't mind when their dog bit people, but now they're leashing him because he's eating all their garden vegetables.
What is the purpose of the apostrophe in didn't, they're, and he's?
3. I used to believe that vampires lived in the old coal bin of my cellar.
The vampire's whole body recoiled when he saw the crucifix.
Fred ate two baked potatoes.
One baked potato's center was still hard.
In each of the sentence pairs above, why is the 's used in the second sentence but not in the first?
Answers are on pages 728-729.
The two main uses of the apostrophe are:
1 To show the omission of one or more letters in a contraction
2 To show ownership or possession
Each use is explained on the pages that follow.
Apostrophe in Contractions
A contraction is formed when two words are combined to make one word. An apostrophe is used to show where letters are omitted in forming the contraction. Here are two contractions:
have + not = haven't (o in not has been omitted)
I + will = I'll (wi in will has been omitted)
The following are some other common contractions:
I + am = I'm it + is = it's
I + have = I've it + has = it's
I + had = I'd is + not = isn't
who + is = who's could + not = couldn't
do + not = don't I + would = I'd
did + not = didn't they + are = they're
Note: Will + not has an unusual contraction, won't.
Activity 1
Combine the following words into contractions. One is done for you.
1. we + are = ____________ 6. you + have = ____________
2. are + not = ____________ 7. has + not = ____________
3. you + are = ____________ 8. who + is = ____________
4. they + have = ____________ 9. does + not = ____________
5. would + not = ____________ 10. there + is = ____________
Activity 2
Write the contractions for the words in parentheses. One is done for you.
1. (Are not) ____________ you coming with us to the concert?
2. (I am) ____________ going to take the car if (it is) ____________ all right with you.
3. (There is) ____________ an extra bed upstairs if (you would) ____________ like to stay here for the night.
4. (I will) ____________ give you the name of the personnel director, but there
(is not) ____________ much chance that (he will) ____________ speak to you.
5. Denise (should not) ____________ complain about the cost of food if (she is)
____________ not willing to grow her own by planting a backyard garden.
Note: Even though contractions are common in everyday speech and in written dialogue, it is usually best to avoid them in formal writing.
Apostrophe to Show Ownership or Possession
To show ownership or possession, we can use such words as belongs to, possessed by, owned by, or (most commonly) of.
the jacket that belongs to Tony
the grades possessed by James
the gas station owned by our cousin
the footprints of the animal
But often the quickest and easiest way to show possession is to use an apostrophe plus s (if the word is not a plural ending in -s). Thus we can say:
Tony's jacket
James's grades
our cousin's gas station
the animal's footprints
Points to Remember
1 The 's goes with the owner or possessor (in the examples given, Tony, James, cousin, the animal). What follows is the person or thing possessed (in the examples given, the jacket, grades, gas station, footprints).
2 When 's is handwritten, there should always be a break between the word and the 's.
Tony's not Tony'
Yes No
3 A singular word ending in -s (such as James in the earlier example) also shows possession by adding an apostrophe plus s (James's).
Activity 1
Rewrite the italicized part of each of the sentences below, using 's to show possession. Remember that the 's goes with the owner or possessor.
Example The toys belonging to the children filled an entire room.
1. The new sunglasses belonging to Elena have been stolen.
2. The visit of my cousin lasted longer than I wanted it to.
3. The owner of the pit bull was arrested after the dog attacked a child.
4. The prescription of a doctor is needed for the pills.
5. The jeep owned by Dennis was recalled because of an engine defect.
6. Is this the hat of somebody?
7. The broken saddle produced a sore on the back of the horse.
8. The cords coming from the computer were so tangled they looked like spaghetti.
9. The energy level possessed by the little boy is much higher than hers.
10. The foundation of the house is crumbling.
Activity 2
Add 's to each of the following words to make them the possessors or owners of something. Then write sentences using the words. Your sentences can be serious or playful. One is done for you.
1. parakeet ______________
2. instructor ______________
3. Lola ______________
4. store ______________
5. mother ______________
Apostrophe versus Possessive Pronouns
Do not use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns. They already show ownership. Possessive pronouns include his, hers, its, yours, ours, and theirs.
Incorrect Correct
The bookstore lost its' lease. The bookstore lost its lease.
The racing bikes were theirs'. The racing bikes were theirs.
The change is your's. The change is yours.
His' problems are ours', too. His problems are ours, too.
His' skin is more sunburned than His skin is more sunburned than hers.
her's.
Apostrophe versus Simple Plurals
When you want to make a word plural, just add an -s at the end of the word. Do not add an apostrophe. For example, the plural of the word movie is movies, not movie's or movies'. Look at this sentence:
Lola adores Tony's broad shoulders, rippling muscles, and warm eyes.
The words shoulders, muscles, and eyes are simple plurals, meaning more than one shoulder, more than one muscle, more than one eye. The plural is shown by adding only an -s. On the other hand, the 's after Tony shows possession—that Tony owns the shoulders, muscles, and eyes.
Activity
In the space provided under each sentence, add the one apostrophe needed and explain why the other word or words ending in s are simple plurals.
Example Karens tomato plants are almost six feet tall.
Karens:
plants:
1. The restaurants reputation brought hungry diners from miles around.
restaurants:
diners:
2. Phils job—slaughtering pigs—was enough to make him a vegetarian.
Phils:
pigs:
3. As Tinas skill at studying increased, her grades improved.
Tinas:
grades:
4. When I walked into my doctors office, there were six people waiting who also had appointments.
doctors:
appointments:
5. I asked the music store clerk for several blank cassette tapes and Lauryn Hills new CD.
tapes:
Hills:
6. After six weeks without rain, the nearby streams started drying up, and the lakes water level fell sharply.
weeks:
streams:
lakes:
7. Rebeccas hooded red cloak makes her look like a fairy-tale character, but her heavy black boots spoil the effect.
Rebeccas:
boots:
8. When the brakes failed on Eriks truck, he narrowly avoided hitting several parked cars and two trees.
brakes:
Eriks:
cars:
trees:
9. My familys favorite breakfast is bacon, eggs, and home-fried potatoes.
familys:
eggs:
potatoes:
10. My parents like Floridas winters, but they prefer to spend their summers back home in Maine.
Floridas:
winters:
summers:
Apostrophe with Plural Words Ending in -s
Plurals that end in -s show possession simply by adding the apostrophe (rather than an apostrophe plus s):
My parents' station wagon is ten years old.
The students' many complaints were ignored by the high school principal.
All the Boy Scouts' tents were damaged by the hailstorm.
Activity
In each sentence, cross out the one plural word that needs an apostrophe. Then write the word correctly, with the apostrophe, in the space provided.
Example __________ All the soldiers rifles were cleaned for inspection.
1. My parents car was stolen last night.
__________________
2. The transit workers strike has just ended.
__________________
3. Two of our neighbors homes are up for sale.
__________________
4. The door to the ladies room is locked.
__________________
5. When students gripes about the cafeteria were ignored, many started to bring their own lunches.
__________________
Review Test 1
In each sentence, cross out the two words that need apostrophes. Then write the words correctly in the spaces provided.
1. The contestants face fell when she learned that all she had won was a years supply of Ajax cleanser.
__________________ __________________
2. Weve been trying for weeks to see that movie, but theres always a long line.
__________________ __________________
3. Freds car wouldnt start until the baby-faced mechanic replaced its spark plugs and points.
__________________ __________________
4. The citys budget director has trouble balancing his own familys checkbook.
__________________ __________________
5. Taking Dianes elderly parents to church every week is one example of Pauls generous behavior.
__________________ __________________
6. Heres a checklist of points to follow when youre writing your class reports.
__________________ __________________
7. The curious child dropped his sisters makeup into the bedrooms hot-air vent.
__________________ __________________
8. The cats babies are under my chair again; I cant find a way to keep her from bringing them near me.
__________________ __________________
9. Because of a family feud, Julie wasnt invited to a barbecue at her only cousins house.
__________________ __________________
10. Phyllis grade was the highest in the class, and Kevin grade was the lowest.
__________________ __________________
Review Test 2
Make the following words possessive and then use at least five of them in a not-so-serious paragraph that tells a story. In addition, use at least three contractions in the paragraph.
mugger restaurant Tony student
New York sister children vampire
skunk Jay Leno boss Oprah Winfrey
customer bartender police car yesterday
instructor someone mob Chicago